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7 Sept 2004 : Column 1076W—continued
Headed Notepaper
Mr. Burns: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the cost of printing Department of Health headed notepaper was in (a) 1996–97 and (b) the latest year for which figures are available. [184550]
Ms Rosie Winterton [holding answer 19 July 2004]: The costs of printing departmental headed notepaper in 1996–97 can be provided only at disproportionate cost. Costs for the period 2003 to June 2004 were £2,099.
Health Promotion (Older People)
Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans he has to invest in health promotion among older people; and what initiatives for older people have taken place in this area over the last two years. [186797]
Dr. Ladyman: The national service framework for older people focused on the promotion of health and active life in old age. The Health Development Agency has produced an "advocacy tool" to enable local health and social care services appreciate the importance and make the case for improving health and well-being in midlife and older age.
The needs of older people have been part of the development and services offered through healthy living centres, local exercise pilot sites and the development of learning through the healthy communities collaborative programme. This work has been supported further
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through actions that incorporate a preventative approach into the development of stroke and mental health services and integrated falls services. Recognising the broad nature of factors that contribute to older people's sense of independence and well-being, we have also worked across Government to encourage active ageing based on council-wide strategies involving transport, leisure, education and other services.
Our consultation, "Choosing Health? A consultation on action to improve people's health", ended on 28 June 2004. Over 2,200 responses have been received and are now being analysed. These cover a wide range of topics. We shall build on the consultation responses as we prepare our White Paper on improving people's health, which we plan to publish in the autumn.
Hearing Aids
Mrs. Calton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the cost per patient is of (a) an externally-worn hearing aid and (b) a hearing aid fitted to be internally worn. [186314]
Ms Rosie Winterton: There are a number of hearing aid types available under the national health service national framework for the supply of hearing aid products. For behind-the-ear hearing aids, prices are in the range of £67 to £195 for digital aids and £31 to £125 for analogue aids. In-the-ear hearing aid prices are in the range of £54 to £66 for analogue aids. These prices are for supply of a single hearing aid only and do not include the costs associated with the provision of the hearing aid service.
Mrs. Calton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health by what date internally-worn hearing aids will be fitted to all NHS patients for whom they are suitable and who request them. [186361]
Dr. Ladyman: All audiology departments in England will routinely be fitting digital hearing aids by March 2005 to patients who require them.
There are no plans for the national health service to supply in-the-ear hearing aids routinely to patients.
Hospital Hygiene/Infection Control
Andrew Mackinlay: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what independent inspections are undertaken of hospital hygiene management programmes; and if he will make a statement. [184417]
Mr. Hutton: Responsibility for reviewing the performance of national health service trusts rests with the Healthcare Commission. A new inspection process for monitoring against the new healthcare standards will commence from next year.
In addition, infection control protocols will be inspected as part of the clinical negligence scheme for trusts.
Andrew Mackinlay: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assistance has been given since 19 March 1997 to the (a) development and (b) use in hospitals of new (i) paints and (ii) cleaning products able to kill known microbes; and if he will make a statement. [184418]
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Miss Melanie Johnson: The choice of paints and cleaning products for use in hospitals is decided locally by individual national health service trusts. We have set up a rapid review process to assess products that make claims about their efficacy to prevent or control healthcare associated infections. However, products to destroy these micro-organisms are already available and it is the consistent use of good infection control practice that needs to be improved.
Mr. Norman: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many NHS hospital trust (a) Chairmen, (b) Chief Executives and (c) other board members have received training in administering hygiene and infection control regimes. [185335]
Miss Melanie Johnson: This information is not held centrally.
Mr. Norman: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what (a) representations he has received and (b) evidence he has collected regarding the effect of advance publication of hospital cleaning target specifications on the cleanliness of hospitals. [185620]
Mr. Hutton: Since 2000, the patient environment action team (PEAT) programme and the national standards of cleanliness for the National Health Service have been introduced.
As a result of the PEAT inspections; the introduction of the national standards of cleanliness; the investment of £68 million and the efforts of the NHS, standards have risen from a position where, in autumn 2000, only a little over 20 per cent. of hospitals were assessed as having good standards of cleanliness to one where nearly 80 per cent. were assessed as good and the remainder assessed by PEAT as acceptable. We consider that these changes have been important factors in raising standards across the NHS over the past four years, but recognise further improvements are needed.
No representations have been received specifically on this issue.
Mental Health
Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the Answer of 21 June 2004, Official Report, column 1275W, on mental health, what percentage of NHS trusts provide single-sex accommodation for unplanned admissions. [186753]
Ms Rosie Winterton: The information is not collected centrally.
National health service trusts should make every effort to ensure that all patients are cared for in single-sex accommodation. There may be occasions when the use of mixed sex accommodation is unavoidable. Hospitals will not turn patients away because a bed in a single-sex area is not available, and nor would we expect them to.
Emergency admissions may sometimes be placed in an area that houses both male and female patients. This is not ideal; but it is sometimes necessary, given that the NHS deals with almost four million emergency admissions each year.
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Guidance on maintaining patient privacy and dignity issued to the service in 1997 advises that patients admitted under emergency procedures should be transferred into appropriate single-sex accommodation at the earliest possible opportunity; but at least within 48 hours. Where the use of mixed-sex accommodation is unavoidable, hospitals should have in place clear operational policies that minimise the impact of this situation until the patient can be moved to accommodation that is more appropriate.
Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what measures have been taken to assist carers of patients with advanced Alzheimer's disease in Romsey. [186757]
Dr. Ladyman: All carers, including those caring for people with dementia, are entitled to an assessment to determine their needs as carers and eligibility for support. The new Carers (Equal Opportunities) Act 2004 introduces new provisions that will ensure that carers are made aware of this right.
The carers grant, worth £125 million this year, provides money for local councils to provide short breaks and services to cares to enable them to continue in their caring role. Carers are also entitled to cash payments for carers' services to enable them to purchase the type of support they require and promote a better quality of life.
The Department has also revised and updated, "Who cares? Information and support for the carers of confused people."
At a local level, the Eastleigh and Test Valley South Primary Care Trust, working with the Hampshire Partnership Trusts and the local social services, has developed a wide range of initiatives in both the acute and community setting which offer advice and support to patients with dementia, and their carers. This includes a carer's centre, jointly commissioned specialist services for carers provided by Southampton MIND, and regular carer's education and support sessions which are run by the local memory assessment and research centre.
Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what assessment he has made of the availability of drugs for treating advanced Alzheimer's disease in Romsey; [186758]
(2) how much was spent by the NHS on drug treatments for advanced Alzheimer's disease patients in Romsey in the latest year for which figures are available; [186759]
(3) how many advanced Alzheimer's disease patients are being treated in the Romsey constituency. [186760]
Ms Rosie Winterton: Information on the number of advanced Alzheimer's disease patients being treated by individual primary care trusts (PCTs) is not collected centrally.
Data on the number of prescription items dispensed in the community and the net ingredient cost are collected by the Prescription Pricing Authority. The total number of prescription items dispensed for dementia drugs and the net ingredient costs of these drugs, in the area covered by Eastleigh and Test Valley South PCT in 2003–04 is shown in the table. It is not
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possible to provide a breakdown for expenditure on drug treatments for advanced Alzheimer's patients for Eastleigh and Test Valley South PCT.
| Number of prescription items (thousand) | Net ingredient cost (£000) | |
|---|---|---|
| Eastleigh and Test Valley South PCT | 2.9 | 298.0 |
| England total | 392.7 | 34,217.0 |
Notes:
1. PCA data covers all prescription items that are dispensed in the community in England. PCA data does not include items dispensed in hospitals or private prescriptions.
2. Drugs for the treatment of Alzheimer's disease are classified in the British National Formulary section 4.11 (Drugs for Dementia) and include the drugs Donepezil, Rivastigmine, Galantamine and Memantine.
3. Information on the number of patients receiving prescriptions for these drugs is not available, but numbers of prescription items of all prescriptions dispensed in the community in Eastleigh and Test Valley South PCT (this is not necessarily the same as where the drugs were prescribed) and the net ingredient cost is provided.
4. Prescriptions are written on a prescription form. Each single item written on the form is counted as a prescription item.
5. The net ingredient cost is the basic cost of a drug. This cost does not take account of discounts, dispensing costs, fees or prescription charge income.
Source:
Prescription Cost Analysis (PCA) data from the Prescription Pricing Authority.
The Department has not made an assessment of the availability of drugs for treating advanced Alzheimer's disease in Romsey. It is for PCTs, in conjunction with strategic health authorities, to ensure that services meet local needs.
Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans he has to increase the resources available to Alzheimer's patients. [186457]
Dr. Ladyman: Funding for the development of treatment and care for people with Alzheimer's disease is not identified separately, but is part of general allocations to local health and social care organisations. It is for local primary care trusts, in partnership with other local national health service and social care organisations, to assess the needs of the local population and meet them from general funding allocations.
The Government is committed to improving standards of health and social care and people with Alzheimer's disease will benefit from the new investment that is being made available to support this commitment. For the NHS, there is an annual average funding increase of 7.5 per cent. above inflation over the five years 2003–04 to 2007–08. This is now the largest ever sustained increase in NHS funding. There have also been substantial increases in the level of funding provided for social services in recent years. Social services resources will increase by an annual average of 6 per cent. in real terms from 2003–04 to 2005–06. These significant funding increases will help provide new and better health and social care services for people with Alzheimer's disease.
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Dr. Gibson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many Alzheimer's disease patients are being treated in Norwich; what the total spending on drugs available on the NHS for Alzheimer's disease was in Norwich in the last year for which figures are available; what assessment he has made of the availability of drugs for moderately-severe to severe Alzheimer's disease in Norwich; how much was spent by the NHS on drug treatments for advanced Alzheimer's disease patients in Norwich in the last year for which figures are available; and what measures have been taken to assist carers of patients with advanced Alzheimer's disease in Norwich. [187013]
Dr. Ladyman: Information on the number of advanced Alzheimer's disease patients being treated by individual primary care trusts (PCTs) is not collected centrally.
Data on the number of prescription items dispensed in the community and the net ingredient costs is collected by the Prescription Pricing Authority (PPA). The total number of prescription items dispensed for dementia drugs and the net ingredient costs of these drugs, in the area covered by Norwich PCT in 2003–04 is shown in the table. It is not possible to provide a breakdown for expenditure on drug treatments for advanced Alzheimer's patients in Norfolk.
| Number of prescription items | Net ingredient cost | |
|---|---|---|
| Norwich PCT | 1,408 | 111,272 |
| England total | 392,652 | 34,217,012 |
Notes:
1. PCA data covers all prescription items that are dispensed in the community in England. PCA data does not include items dispensed in hospitals or private prescriptions.
2. Drugs for the treatment of Alzheimer's disease are classified in the British National Formulary section 4.11 (Drugs for Dementia) and include the drugs Donepezil, Rivastigmine, Galantamine and Memantine.
3. Information on the number of patients receiving prescriptions for these drugs is not available, but numbers of prescription items of all prescriptions dispensed in the community in Norwich PCT (this is not necessarily the same as where the drugs were prescribed) and the net ingredient cost is provided.
4. Prescriptions are written on a prescription form. Each single item written on the form is counted as a prescription item.
5. The net ingredient cost is the basic cost of a drug. This cost does not take account of discounts, dispensing costs, fees or prescription charge income.
Source:
Prescription cost analysis (PCA) data from the PPA.
The Department has not made an assessment of the availability of drugs for treating advanced Alzheimer's disease in Norwich. It is for PCTs, in conjunction with strategic health authorities (SHAs), to ensure that services meet local needs.
Norfolk Suffolk and Cambridge SHA has advised that all patients who are prescribed medication for the treatment of Alzheimer's disease are assessed by a consultant for four months. If the medication is beneficial then the patient's general practitioner takes
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over responsibility for prescribing, with the option to discontinue the medication if it is not producing benefits for the patient, or his/her carer, at any time.
Dr. Stoate: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what measures have been taken to assist carers of patients with advanced Alzheimer's disease in (a) the UK and (b) Dartford. [187028]
Dr. Ladyman: All carers, including those caring for people with dementia, are entitled to an assessment to determine their needs as carers and eligibility for support. The new Carers (Equal Opportunities) Act 2004 introduces new provisions that will ensure that carers are made aware of this right.
The carers grant, worth £125 million this year, provides money for local councils to provide short breaks and services to carers to enable them to continue in their caring role. Carers are also entitled to cash payments for carers' services to enable them to purchase the type of support they require and promote a better quality of life.
The Department has also revised and updated Who cares? Information and support for the carers of confused people.
Matters relating to Scotland and Wales are matters for the devolved administration. Whilst the institutions in Northern Ireland are dissolved, responsibility rests with Ministers in the Northern Ireland Office.
There are two new local initiatives in Dartford. Firstly, the provision of 10 residential care beds specifically for the assessment and treatment of dementia. Secondly, there is an intensive domiciliary care scheme that offers patients and their carers an opportunity to choose the kind of support they receive.
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